FEEL DIFFERENT. [ PART 1 OF 2 ]
In memory of Kelly Snyder, Jacob Douglas and John Krell. You will never be forgotten and may each day spent in the living of my life honor you - the ones who have left this life too soon.
"To be yourself
in a world that is constantly
trying to make you something else
is the greatest accomplishment."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
So when is the last time your feelings were hurt? Probably, too recently.
Here's the deal:
If you give others the power to hurt your feelings, -- then they have control in your life.
If you give others control in your life, -- then they can manipulate your thoughts, feelings and ultimately - your actions.
If you allow others to manipulate your actions, -- then more and more of your life leaves God's will and becomes the will of others.
If you give up your life and your will to others, -- and not to God, then you are abandoning your gifts and the calling on your life for the fulfillment of your destiny and subjecting yourself to the rollercoaster ride of emotion and whim in the lives of other people.
Why do others want to exercise their will in your life? Because most likely they don't have it together themselves and instead of dealing with their own issues, they spend all of their time trying to tell you what is best for you when they don't really know.
Excommunicate yourself from the emotion of your circumstances.
I got off of the rollercoaster ride of emotion and indecision a long time ago. When you come over the hill on the coaster track of life, and the bottom drops out, and your hands are thrust into the air, what will you hang on to?
Have you ever have one of those dreams where you feel like you're falling and can't stop yourself?
Terrifying.
Helpless.
Hopeless.
The next time your rollercoaster comes to a stop, I recommend you follow suit by getting off of this ride, and your life will never be the same again -- it will be better.
There's nothing wrong with accountability and having some other select people in our life to help keep us on track. Accountability keeps us, well, accountable. It helps us by not only allowing us to open up to others in a safe way, but sometimes others can see into our lives easier than we can. It helps us, among many things, to make sure that while we're in the middle of seeking our dreams and living life the way we believe we should, that we're also not doing that at the expense of others.
And I said "select" people. Not anyone and everyone. You can't expose the personal calling, your heart's desire to anyone and everyone. People are very free to give advice - everyone, including myself. And people are also willing and ready to call your dreams down and bring you to their level of disappointment with the fact that they haven't achieved their OWN dreams due to bitterness, contempt or some other sour root in their lives.
I certainly don't put psychobabble in front of God's leading in my life, but Maslow and his "hierarchy of needs" has a certain ring of truth to it of late. When your basic needs are met and dealt with, you are more free to be a blessing to others. When you've stripped everything away (or been stripped of everything) and have learned to be at peace with where you've been placed, you are more free to genuinely interact with others on a root level when the other party doesn't feel that they need to "buy what you're selling" because there is nothing to buy. You're not selling anything. It's all free. The walls come down because there are no expectations. Because its all genuine.
Why is Bill Murray required to repeat February 2nd, over and over again in "Groundhog Day?" He's required to repeat it over and over and over and over until he learns that his life is not about him. He's required to repeat it over and over and over until he learns that its about love and giving freely and selflessly of himself to others -- and the catch: without expecting anything in return. And when he DOES finally realize this on the 487th re-run of his own personal Groundhog Day, he is allowed to move forward - and he really begins to live.
Its interesting how 'live' and 'love' are separated by only one letter.
Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of pressing rewind. We have to come to that understanding of giving freely of ourselves by living, learning - and ultimately loving - through spending the "days" in our life's bank account --- and the next catch: we don't know the balance of how many days we have left on this "account." There's no 24 hour number to call or website to visit that will tell you your life balance, thus the making the most of each day should be our only goal.
There is something that you're expected to do. Period. Someone needs what YOU have to offer. Specifically, they NEED the gift that you have to give when you follow and fulfill your dream(s). Whether that be something that they specifically receive from you related to you fulfilling your dream or whether that be their simply being inspired by you following your dream(s) that inspires in them the thought that they can then do the same in their life.
Either way, if you don't put every ounce of energy that you have into finding your purpose, the sin lies in the fact that you are withholding from others the power that is supposed to flow through you into others when you are true to yourself.
[ continued here ]